Designated case handler

The designated case handler is the natural person or organisational unit that an employer entrusts with operating the internal reporting office under the German Whistleblower Protection Act (Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz, HinSchG). They are the operational core of the internal reporting channel: reports converge with them, they receive incoming disclosures, assess their substance and steer the subsequent procedure. The employer may assign this task to one of its own employees, to several members of a work unit, or to an external third party such as an ombudsperson or a law firm.

The statutory duties include acknowledging receipt of a report within seven days, maintaining contact with the whistleblower, assessing whether the reported breach is substantiated, requesting further information where needed, and taking appropriate follow-up measures. No later than three months after the acknowledgement of receipt, the case handler must provide feedback to the whistleblower on the follow-up measures planned or already taken and the reasons for them. The entire process is subject to a documentation obligation, kept in a permanently retrievable form.

The qualification and standing of the designated case handler are decisive for the system to work. The HinSchG requires that the persons charged with these tasks possess the necessary expertise and carry out their work independently. They may perform other duties alongside this role, but must remain free of conflicts of interest while doing so. They are also bound by a strict confidentiality requirement: the identity of the whistleblower, of the person concerned and of any others named in the report must be protected. Breaches of these obligations, or obstructing reports, can be subject to fines.